Kingston plays a positive role to help alleviate housing crisis

Published on 03 April 2024

Work to help alleviate the housing crisis and homelessness continues in Kingston.

Council is set to enter discussions with leading community housing association, Launch Housing Limited around the prospect of two properties in Edithvale and Mentone being developed for social housing.

Both council-owned properties are currently sitting vacant after previously being home to the Lochiel Child Care Centre and Australian Turkish Association respectively.
Following a competitive request for proposal process, the evaluation panel unanimously nominated Launch as the preferred partner, a decision ratified by Councillors at the March Council meeting.

The current proposal is for new homes to be constructed across the two sites, with Launch to take control of the sites under 30-year leases, however the plans will be subject to further detailed scrutiny and approval processes, including community consultation, if the projects are to progress.

This work builds upon Council’s commitment through the 2020 Kingston Social and Affordable Housing Strategy which addresses increasing levels of housing stress in the community. Left unchecked, increasing levels of housing stress in the community will lead to a reduction in well-being in the community, increase disadvantage and create inefficient labour markets.

In line with current homelessness and housing stress statistics, Council noted the urgent need for housing for women (over 50) and single parents/carers with children to be prioritised for these potential places and any others that arise.

This latest venture into the social and affordable housing space in Kingston follows on from other examples including:

• Housing in Moorabbin and Cheltenham focussed on providing homes to members of the community who could otherwise no longer afford to rent in Kingston.
• An innovative project in Clarinda using portable housing targeted specifically at providing homes to older residents until more permanent housing can be sourced.
• A partnership between a developer and housing provider in Clayton South to provide 10 apartments and a caretaker’s home very close to the Clayton shopping precinct for people living with acute physical disabilities.

Our Strategy identified in July 2020 the need for housing assistance in Kingston was previously estimated as a shortfall of 4,690 dwellings to alleviate homeless and housing stress for existing residents. This figure has likely grown given the costs of new housing construction and large increases in the cost of renting properties that has occurred over recent years.